


Everyone Experiments In College

by gyldenstern



Category: Last Podcast on The Left (Podcast) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bi-Curiosity, Drinking, Exhibitionism, Experimentation, Fluff, Hand Jobs, M/M, Marijuana, Public Blow Jobs, Semi-Public Sex, Sharing a Bed, Shower Sex, Sleepovers, Tenderness (TM), Truth or Dare, just dudes being guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:29:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22200334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gyldenstern/pseuds/gyldenstern
Summary: Ben and Marcus became best friends their first semester at college. Over the January Term however, things started to get more complicated than that. It's always gotta be more complicated than that.
Relationships: Ben Kissel/Marcus Parks
Comments: 23
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben lets Marcus crash for the night after Henry sexiles him.

**[3 New Messages from LAST DORM CLUSTER ON THE LEFT]**

**Hong Kong** : hey, i'm going on a cemetery date tonight. gonna need you to find somewhere to crash.

**Hong Kong** : oh shit that was just supposed to be for marcus. my b boys

**Hong Kong** : who's roommates are gone tho?? who wants to have a sleepover with a ghoul 

  
  


Ben laughed to himself. He was posted up in the cafeteria, snagging a late night dinner of chicken tenders and fries after watching a documentary for his poly sci class in the library, where the wifi wasn't perpetually being eaten by Mortal Kombat and whatever the hell documentaries Henry had found on YouTube that week. He dipped a tendie in mayochup and kept writing out his 1-paragraph response. Technically, the assignment had been due at the end of class today, but he figured late was better than never. And he had skipped class, so. 

The cafeteria was deserted, even by late-night standards. About half of the students were gone for J-Term on various choir tours, study-abroads, and internships. Luckily for Ben, most of his friends from his dorm floor had chosen to take a class on campus or stayed for work-study. Henry was involved in the musical intensive, some Shakespeare adaptation involving young lovers and hijinks. Loving Learned Labor? Losing Labors Lovers? Something like that. Henry’s roommate, Marcus, had elected to take a taxidermy class for his arts credit, despite the fact that the professor wouldn't let him bring in his own carcasses in from the farm. Eddie and Jackie both stayed on campus to work in the cafeteria, although they were gone this weekend for a winter camping trip. Holden had registered late, and was stuck taking a "Morality of Children's Literature" class, which meant he had been mostly drinking, smoking weed, and crying. Ben had lucked out- he was 1 of 3 freshmen who had managed to get into Fear and Loathing: A Look at Gonzo Journalism in the Political Sphere; which had maxed out within 30 minutes of registration being open. 

His phone buzzed again. 

  
  


**[6 New Messages from LAST DORM CLUSTER ON THE LEFT]**

**d0gm33t** : thanks henry 

**HOLDENATOR** : No can do, my girlfriend came up for the weekend! Sorry Marcus. 

**Hong Kong** : you don't have to lie to us. we know she is not real 

**HOLDENATOR** : She IS real and YOU'RE going to be hearing her goosh tonight!! :P :P :P 

**Ed Larson** : Jackie and I are hotboxing a tent right now and were freezing our asses off. You can sleep in my bed as long as you dont get bird guts all over the sheets. 

**Ed Larson** : Wait I didnt read Holden's message. Sorry man. Holden youre disgusting leave that woman alone

  
  


Ben typed a response, shoving cold fries in his mouth. 

  
  


**Ben "Long Bitch" Kissel** : u can sleep over at my place as long as u bring me beer

**Ben "Long Bitch" Kisse** l : we can play rdr2!!! ill undo megabed 

****d0gm33t loved your message****

**d0gm33t** : cool, can you drive me to the liq? i'm in the art building rn 

  
  


********

Ben pulled into the back lot behind the art building, sending Marcus a message letting him know that he was there. He drummed his hands against the steering wheel, looking through the windows of the dilapidated building. Out of all the guys on his floor, he had become closest to Marcus and Henry, who lived across the hall from him. His own roommate had dropped out before the year began, and the college had never bothered to place another person with him. He enjoyed living by himself and having his own room, especially considering how his dorm already felt cramped with it's narrow shape and low ceiling. However, sometimes he felt lonely without a roommate. Everyone else had been paired up, and as much as they privately complained about their roommates, Ben couldn't help but feel like an outsider sometimes. 

Marcus loped out of the back door of the building, cigarette already lit and fake leather jacket slung over his shoulder. Despite the January weather, he had on a cutoff t-shirt and ripped jeans. He looked mean at first glance, but he broke out into a crooked grin once he saw Ben's car, jogging over and waving. 

"Hey Ben! Thanks for grabbing me," he said as he got into the shotgun seat. "Let's go, MGM closes in 20 minutes." He wiggled a seatbelt on while unrolling the window for smoke as Ben pulled away. Normally he wouldn't let people smoke cigarettes in his car, but Marcus was the exception.

"What happened to the flannel?" Ben asked. "Aren't you freezing?" 

"I spilled solvent all over it. I'm covered in sawdust too, I had to open a fresh bag and it exploded everywhere. See, look," he said, shaking sawdust out of his long hair. 

"Gross! Don't do that in my car… and put your jacket on, it's cold." Ben said. Marcus rolled his eyes, but obliged. 

"I'm gonna have to shower once we get back, hopefully Henry will let me into the room so I can grab my stuff. Did you hear that our RA is gone for the weekend?" Marcus flicked his cigarette butt out of the window. 

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet. No substitute?" Ben replied, pulling into the brightly lit side lot of the liquor store. 

"Nope," said Marcus, opening the car door. "You want Bud Light or whiskey?" 

"Yes," said Ben. "And don't be suspicious with the fake." 

  
  


*******

Ben cracked open a second beer, sprawled out on his bed. Marcus had been able to get his shower caddy and towel from his room, and was currently taking one of his infamously long showers. Ben had left the door open, and had picked up on some weird paranormal reenactment show he had started the previous night. Down the hall he could hear Holden playing obnoxiously loud music. Henry had ducked into Ben's room quickly, introducing his date as Natalie, who was the choreographer of the musical. She was tall and friendly, and wore goth platform boots that made Henry look like a dwarf in comparison. He had never looked more enamored. Ben had made a silent note to ask Henry how he managed to convince her to go anywhere with him, much less a cemetery in the middle of the winter. 

He sighed. Something about campus being half empty and cold made him acutely aware of how little luck he'd had first semester. It might have been because he was too busy with classes, drinking, and watching horror movies, but the lack of bustle and the usual weekend ragers drove the point home. Ben had been at college for almost 5 months, and had yet to have any kind of hookup. He intellectually knew that it didn't matter, and that the idea that college was nothing but sex and partying wasn't true, but it still stung a little. He felt like an outsider, especially when all his friends were at least getting out there, if not outright 'slamming salami', as Jackie had proclaimed herself to be. Ed had been doing well for himself, especially after one of the sororities had unofficially made him their bouncer for house parties. Holden's girlfriend from high school came down fairly often, and for as much shit as their groupchat gave him, she was certainly real, and pretty, and according to Holden's disgusting turn of phrase, 'freaky-deaky.' Henry probably talked the most game, although he came home from his fair share of dates having struck out after a conspiracy theory rant. Marcus never talked about his conquests at all, but Ben couldn't imagine that he was doing as poorly as himself. Marcus was the most conventionally attractive of all of them, and had a weird charm about his spooky exterior. He looked good when he laughed despite the jagged teeth. He could dance, kind of. He smelled good when he wasn't covered in dirt or caked with formaldehyde from taxidermy. Marcus had to be getting laid, Ben thought, although he couldn't recall Henry ever sleeping on the couch in the hallway like Holden or Ed frequently did.

His phone buzzed. 

**[1 New Message from Jackie]**

**Jackie** : nevrr let me go camping again this shit sucks 

**Ben** : Coulda told you that! Gotta establish a booze blanket. 

**Jackie** : oh trust me booze blanket has been estalished

**Jackie** : whats everyone doing tonight 

**Ben** : not much. Holden’s girlfriend is in town. Henry’s dragging some poor girl to a cemetery so Marcus is crashing here once he washes all the bird guts off. RA is out of town so we’re gonna get weird 

**Jackie:** you and marcus gettin weird makin the squish squish 

**Jackie** : we love to see it 

**Ben** : NO 

**Ben** : We’re having a sleepover, like MEN do. Henry, on the other hand looked like he was about ready to climb inside the girl he brought out. His fault that marcus is even here in the first place!! 

  
  


Ben drained the rest of his beer, crushing it and tossing it towards the recycling. It missed. Groaning, he got up to put it in the bin. He kicked his dirty clothes around, making a single pile next to the jam-packed closet. His room was in a constant state of drunken mess, but he had at least gotten the sticky spots of beer off the floor a few days ago in a rare moment of responsibility. Papers and notebooks from last semester were piled high on his desk, along with a Dead Alive poster he had yet to put up on the wall. He was trying to think about where to move the TV stand in order to separate the beds when his phone buzzed again. 

**[2 New Messages from Jackie]**

**Jackie:** thats the worst thing ive heard all day 🤮🤮

**Jackie** : whatever man everyone experiments in college. try dudes since girls arent workin out for yall 

  
  


Ben paused, rereading Jackie’s message. 

  
  


**Ben** : What do you mean yall? Marcus slams pussy 

**Jackie** : nah 

**Jackie** : maybe in dirtville tx but not at school 

**Jackie** : my phone is dying gn 

  
  


And just like that, the green bubble next to Jackie’s name disappeared. Ben kept staring at the messages, stomach churning. He knew Jackie was kidding about experimentation, but it was still strange to ponder. Even stranger than the idea that Marcus had no game. 

“oh SHIT,” Marcus said from out in the hallway. Ben dropped his phone like it had stung him. He peeked his head through the doorway. 

Marcus stood at his door, dripping wet with just a towel around himself, desperately jiggling the locked handle. 

“Motherfucker locked me out! Damnit, Henry!” he cursed. 

“Ah, that’ll happen!” said Ben. “You can borrow some of my clothes.” 

“I’m gonna look like an idiot in them,” Marcus said, grabbing his shower caddy from its puddle on the floor. 

“Who do you gotta impress, me?” joked Ben. 

“Glad I at least put the booze and my stash in your room first,” grumbled Marcus. He came face to face with Ben, who was still blocking the doorway. He looked up at Ben, water still dripping down his face. 

Maybe it was the booze, maybe Jackie had hit on something he wasn't aware of, or maybe it was just an unfortunate coincidence, but Ben's stomach dropped. He noticed for the first time how… pretty Marcus was. His eyes, normally ringed with dark circles, were a pale blue and shiny in the light. His hair was wet, but still managed to look soft somehow. Ben had unconciously wrote Marcus off as emaciated, but could see now that years of drumming and farm labor gave him strong shoulders and arms, further enhanced by the droplets of water from his shower. He became acutely aware of how large his hands were, and the fact that he was only wearing a towel, and that he was standing maybe six inches away from him. Ben's brain short circuited for a second. 

"Is the magic password, 'Knicks Jersey?'" Marcus asked, interrupting the blue screen moment Ben was experienced. 

"Oh! Uh, yes. Sorry man," Ben scrambled, moving out of the way. He rummaged through his dresser drawers, looking for a clean shirt and shorts for Marcus to wear. He willed his face to stop burning. 

"Here, take these," Ben said, tossing an old Eagles concert t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants to Marcus. "Uh, I hope you don't fault me for not sharing my boxers," 

"I don't wear 'em to bed anyway," said Marcus. "Gotta let it all breathe." 

"Oh, jesus Marcus-" Ben began to say. Marcus put the shirt on, and Ben quickly ducked down to get another few beers out of the mini-fridge before Marcus dropped his towel. By the time he was done fidgeting around, Marcus was laid up on his bed, swimming in Ben's pajamas, watching the paranormal show with a look of concern on his face. 

"Ben, this show is garbage," he said, holding his hand out for a beer. 

"I thought you liked spooky stuff? I've really been enjoying this episode, it's about a haunted farm-" 

"No, I know. But they're getting the facts  _ wrong _ ." 

  
  


*******

"No, no, no! You're misunderstanding, Ben, there HAD to be a second shooter!" Marcus was yelling, eyes wild. 

They had watched all the available episodes of the paranormal show, and were now in a deep YouTube hole of conspiracy theory videos. Ben had powerhoused most of the beer Marcus had bought, and they had been passing the bottle of whiskey back and forth. He was laughing at Marcus, whose arms were flailing around as they watched the slowed down Zapruder film on the TV. 

"See! Right there! Look at where JFK is hit, it doesn't make any sense when you think about the three dimensional angle, like when you think of how high off the GROUND that Oswald would have had to BEEN-" 

"-Marcus, I'm- Marcus I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just too drunk to even think about angles," Ben laughed. He wasn't truly that drunk, but he had a healthy, Wisconsin buzz going on and was trying to get Marcus to stop yelling. 

"Well that's, well that's- we gotta balance us out then," said Marcus, flopping back onto the bed and grabbing his drawstring backpack. He pulled out a baggie of weed and his grinder, which was styled after the chamber of a six-shooter. "Do you have any papers?" 

"Do you want my Statistics 101 paper or my American Lit paper?" Ben joked, reaching under his mattress to grab his rolling papers. "Cause those could both go up in flames." 

Marcus laughed again. Ben loved how easy Marcus laughed. 

"Cmon man, do you have a textbook or something for me to roll on?" he said, already grinding up some fresh bud. "We're gonna need an ash can too, and better throw a towel under the door to be safe." 

"Aye aye, boss!" said Ben cheerfully, getting up to throw a towel down. He threw 3 empty cans into the recycling, saving one for an ash can. He climbed back on the bed, leaning over the headboard to open a window. Cold air rushed in. Marcus was sitting cross legged, Ben's laptop balanced on his lap with the open grinder on top. 

"Careful," he said. "Don't knock this over, Henry brought it back from California, it's good shit." 

"Wasn't planning on it," said Ben, who stretched out on the other side of the bed. He watched Marcus carefully pinch the weed onto the paper, filter held steady by his thumb. Gently, he rocked the paper back and forth until the bud was adequately grouped together, and deftly rolled the free end tight, up until the glued edge. He lifted it to his lips and lightly licked the glue, staring back at Ben while he did so. Ben felt a head rush that he couldn't quite attribute to the booze. 

"You're very good at that." Ben said, filling the silence more than anything. 

"Thanks," said Marcus, shaking the joint by it's twisted tip so it would burn evenly. "You're an appreciative audience." He handed the joint to Ben. 

"You take greens. Thanks for letting me crash here tonight." he said, smiling. Ben took the joint carefully as to not bend it. 

"Anytime! Cheers," he replied, lighting it up. He blew the smoke out of the window and handed it back to Marcus. 

Marcus took his hit, exhaling it out of his nose. Ben exited out of YouTube and pulled up Spotify. 

"Any requests?" he asked, taking the joint back. Marcus shrugged. 

"Stoner music. I have a playlist labeled 'chill out tunes' if you wanna look that up." 

Ben obliged. They sat in comfortable silence, passing it back and forth, listening to the Zombies 'Time of the Season.' Marcus kept touching fingertips to him when passing, and Ben rationalized it as nothing. 

"Do you think Henry's scared that woman into the witness protection program yet?" asked Marcus. Ben smiled. 

"I don't know. I've been thinking about it, and I think the only rational explanation for her agreeing to go on a date with him is that she's a vampire, and she knows how much organ meat he likes to eat." 

"Oh, I can see Henry being VERY into that," said Marcus, coughing a little. "Phantom of the Opera and all." 

"Was the Phantom of the Opera a vampire?" asked Ben. "I thought he was just like. kinda gross looking." 

"I don't know, not much one for opera myself," Marcus replied, stretching a little. "Are you almost done with that? I'll roll another." 

Ben flicked the last of the joint out of the window. He grabbed the febreeze he kept behind the bed and sprayed it upwards, a lame security measure all things considered. 

"We should probably get these beds separated before we're both too stoned to move," he said. Marcus groaned. 

"Ugh, let's not bother. I'm already drunk and feeling lazy," he said, running his hands through his long hair. "It's a slumber party, anyway." 

"Oh thank god, I didn't wanna have to totally rearrange right now anyway," said Ben. His head had started to spin lightly, not yet to the point where he would have to go to sleep. "One more shot?"

"Is that a dare, Ben Kissel?" Marcus said, smiling again and grabbing the whiskey. He took a long pull and handed it to Ben. 

Ben took an even longer pull. As it burned down his throat, he said something he almost immediately regretted. 

"Well, it's a slumber party. What slumber party is complete without Truth or Dare?" 

"Oh, it's on," said Marcus, sitting up. "Truth or Dare, Ben?" 

"Uh… truth," said Ben. Marcus had a glint in his eye he couldn’t place, but it made him nervous. 

"Most irrational fear?" 

"I feel like you're going to use this against me," said Ben, whose hands were beginning to sweat. 

"C'mon Ben, I'll be nice," said Marcus, giving him a ghoulish smile. 

"Okay, uhm… most irrational fear… Uhm. I guess it would be being buried alive. You?" 

"Not how the game works, Ben," said Marcus, who began to roll a second joint. "You gotta ask me truth or dare, and you can't repeat questions or dares." 

"Okay, fine. Truth or dare?" 

"Truth." 

Ben thought back on Jackie's text. Emboldened by the booze, he went for it. 

"What's your body count from first semester?" he said, propping himself up to open the window again. 

Marcus paused, the slightest amount of color rising in his cheeks. He fiddled with the joint, not making eye contact. 

"Zero. Haven't had a lot of time to put myself out there. Just been. Just been busy," he said, sparking the joint. "Truth or dare?" 

"I'm gonna go with truth again," said Ben, silently pleased. 

"Playin' it safe I see, only gonna make the dares worse when I get to them," chided Marcus. "But keeping in theme, best hookup you've had so far this year?" 

Ben avoided the question. 

"What if I never pick a dare? Then I don't have to worry about you making me do something awful. Did you think about that?" he said, taking a drag. 

Marcus looked at him intently. Ben laughed nervously. 

"Looks like you're sizing me up to eat me," he joked. 

"Answer the question, Ben." he said softly but firmly. 

"I haven't hooked up with anyone this year," Ben said, sighing. "I think girls are afraid of me, think they're gonna get Bigfoot herpes or something." 

Marcus nodded, smirking at the joke. He took a long drag. 

"Glad to be in good company," he said. "Nothin' to worry about, although I'm a little surprised to be honest." 

"Please," Ben scoffed, reaching for the joint. "Could say the same thing for you though. Truth or dare?" 

"Truth," said Marcus without hesitation. He scooted closer to Ben in a faux casual style, and Ben allowed him to. Ben paused, letting the high sink in. The final throes of Sound and Vision by David Bowie played in the background. 

"Is this your sex jams playlist?" Ben asked, off the cuff. Marcus threw his head back in laughter, exposing his pale throat. Ben's heart did an unmistakable flip, and he knew that he was officially in drunk trouble. 

"Yeah man, it is," Marcus said, face in a grin. "Though to be fair, I usually listen to it alone when I'm smoking too. Multipurpose that way." Ben cheesed at him, fully stoned now. 

"It's a good playlist. I like it," he said. "You have good taste in music when you're not listening to Ween." 

"I'll take the backhanded compliment. Truth or dare?" 

"Dare. Hit me with your worst!" Ben said. Marcus took an extra long drag, then flicked the butt out of the window. He paused, staring intently again. 

"I dare you to kiss me on the mouth." 

Ben's jaw dropped halfway in shock. He half expected Marcus to start laughing, half expected all his friends to pop out and scream 'gotcha'. Neither happened. Marcus stared back, face blank. Waiting. 

Ben crouched down to meet his face, paused, staring directly in Marcus's eyes. There was no malice, no mischief there. He ducked down, and pecked Marcus on the lips matter of factly. Silence hung between them, "One of These Nights" by the Eagles playing in what felt like the far distance. Still inches away from each other, Ben broke the silence. 

"Truth or dare?" 

"Dare." 

"I dare you to kiss me on the mouth." 

“Technically could be considered a repeat, but-“ Marcus trailed off, then grabbed the sides of Ben’s face, kissing him deeply. Ben felt like he was about to pass out, not just from the liquor, or the weed, or the absolute  _ madness _ of it all, but because it felt so right. He didn’t think kissing any man, much less one of his best friends, could feel this right. He kissed back, gingerly putting one of his large hands on Marcus’ arm. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, and then Marcus pulled away. 

“I’ll allow it.” he breathed, still dizzyingly close to Ben. 

“Allow what?” said Ben. He felt like he was drunk in 3-D. 

“Repeat dare. Just playing a game, remember?” said Marcus. 

“That’s right,” Ben said. “Pass me that joint while you think of another dare, Dogmeat.” 

“Hang on, I got an idea,” Marcus grinned, then swung his leg over his hips, so he was sitting in Ben’s lap. “I dare you to close your eyes and open your mouth, just a little.” 

Ben obeyed, screwing his eyes shut and parting his lips, feeling ridiculous. He felt Marcus hover over him, then he kissed him again. Smoke poured from Marcus’ mouth into Ben’s, which he managed to swallow with minimum coughing. Marcus let out a half laugh above him. 

"Am I allowed to open my eyes now?" Ben asked. Marcus laughed. 

"Yeah, you're good. Never shotgunned smoke before?" he said. 

"Is that what that's called? Good god, no," Ben said, wiping his mouth a little. "Truth or dare?" 

"Dare," Marcus said, shifting slightly. Ben hoped his quarter-chub wasn't as obvious as it felt. 

"Take your shirt off," he said. Marcus raised his eyebrows in surprise, but complied. His pale chest looked almost translucent in the moonlight streaming through the open window. Ben reached up, running his hands over his shoulders and arms, taking it all in. He pulled Marcus down to kiss him on the crook of his neck, gripping him in a bear hug. 

"Christ man, don't crush me," Marcus laughed. "Not used to all this man meat." 

"Watch it, buddy," Ben said, kissing him on the neck again. "What the fuck are we doing?" 

"Nope, I said dare, you gave me a dare. No truth questions for me right now. Truth or dare, Ben?" 

"Truth." 

"What the fuck are we doing?" Marcus asked Ben. He gently carded his fingers through his hair, staring back, eyebrows knitted together in concern. Ben thought for a moment, trying to find something witty to say in the haze of intoxication. 

"I dunno. Everyone experiments in college I guess." He finally responded. 

"Do you wanna keep experimenting?" Marcus asked. 

"Yes," Ben said confidently. "But right now, the room is really starting to spin, and I might need you to actually get off me while I decide if I'm drunk enough to hurl." 

Marcus laughed, and obliged. He got up and grabbed a gatorade from the mini fridge. 

"Here you go, big guy." He said kindly. "Want me to move the trash can over?" 

"Nah, I just need to sleep," Ben reassured him. He looked at his phone, which was laid up on his bedpost. "Jesus Christ, it's 4AM." 

Marcus climbed under the covers, tossing his shirt on the floor. Ben chugged half the gatorade, and then handed the rest to Marcus to finish off. He grabbed the remote to the TV, still playing music, and turned it off. They left the lava lamp on Ben's desk on, bathing the room in a weird orange glow. Ben had his eyes shut, half-asleep within minutes, when he felt Marcus shift closer to him. 

"One more dare for ya," Marcus whispered. 

"Fine," Ben sighed. 

"I dare you to cuddle me right now," said Marcus, grin audible. Ben opened one eye, looked at Marcus, and in one swift motion rolled over and pinned him to the bed with a single strong arm. He gave Marcus a hard kiss on the cheek and Marcus hummed. 

"You asked for this," Ben said, scooting closer to him. 

"Sure did," Marcus said, sinking into the cuddle. 

"Is this weird?" Ben asked quietly. 

"I don't know," said Marcus. "We're weird. Go to sleep." 

******

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake UP, you FUCKERS, it's 2PM and i got LAID last night-"

Ben jolted out of a dead sleep and sat up. Henry had stormed in, and was in the process of turning the lights on and stealing beer out of Ben's fridge. 

"-I think I'm in LOVE, she lifted me UP at one point-" 

Marcus groaned, almost entirely hidden by blankets. He threw a pillow at Henry, who responded by ripping the covers off the bed. 

"Oh my god, are you wearing Ben's pants?" Henry asked, clambering into the bed in order to grab Marcus's bag of weed from the far side. "Or did a witch shrink you down?" 

"No, asshole, you locked me out while I was in the shower last night!" Marcus yelled, now sitting up and fully awake. Ben watched them barb at each other, no real malice on either side for a few moments. Henry seemed completely unaware of what he had just walked in to, too excited to tell them about his cemetery date. Ben leaned down, grabbing a warm beer out of the 30-rack. Marcus grabbed it out of his hands, still yelling at Henry about locking him out. He grabbed another beer from the 30-rack and opened it. He settled in to hearing all about Henry's conquest, or rather the conquest of Henry, still in a sleepy haze. Marcus's leg was still touching his and none of them said a word about it. 


	2. Attitude Adjustment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus is not having a good day. Ben is not having any of Marcus' shit.

Marcus stood back, wiping sweat off his forehead with a grimy hand. He hadn't thought his J-Term was going to be so involved, art class and all, but he had neglected to read the reviews for the professor teaching the class— a mistake, as all of them advised heavily against taking a Statton class unless you were an art major or an outright masochist. He was on hour three of clay modeling, and he still had 2 more bird figures to finish before he could call it a night. 

"So much for a play-term," he groaned. He was alone in the sculpture room, a cavernous and dingy space. His classmates had trickled out earlier, a few outright giving up and the rest resolving to come in early to finish their work. Marcus had stayed, determined to finish everything up, even if it did make him go crazy in the process. Statton had already singled him out for not being a major or a minor in art, and Marcus couldn't bear the idea of giving the man any more fuel to pick on him. Marcus washed his hands, slipped on his jacket and stepped out onto the rickety fire exit for a smoke. 

It was quiet outside, orange street lamps illuminating the brick art building. He pulled his jacket tighter around him, watching snow fall down in thick silent flakes. His phone buzzed. 

  
  


**[1 New Message from Ben]**

**Ben** : hey! are you back yet?

  
  


Marcus' stomach did a tiny flip. He and Ben hadn't talked much since their 'experiment' last weekend. He knew that Ben hadn't blacked out, but he still hadn't brought it up. Neither had Marcus. He typed out a response, dragging on his smoke. 

  
  


**Marcus** : I'm still in the art building. Probably gonna be here for at least an hour. why whats up? 

**Ben:** just bored! everyone is busy or at practice. can i come hang out or am i not allowed in the art building

  
  


Marcus paused. Technically, the request didn't mean anything. In any other case, if any one of his other friends would have asked, it wouldn't have meant a damn thing. He reminded himself that it didn't mean a damn thing from Ben, even with the weekend's incident. He reminded himself that Ben was his friend, his best friend, and best friends hung out all the time. He also reminded himself that it was dumb that he had to remind himself of all of these things. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth so he could use both hands to type. 

  
  


**Marcus** : you can hang out but only if you bring me snacks! sour candy plz 

**Ben:** Deal! I'll be over soon. 

Marcus laughed a little. Everyone gave Ben shit for being a "big drunk lunatic," as Eddie had put it, but he had been surprised over and over again at how  _ soft _ he really was. Maybe it was the height, or how loud he was, or how he was always ready to be the devil's advocate, but Marcus had really come to appreciate how genuine and loyal Ben was. He was surprisingly gentle, Marcus thought as he flicked his cigarette butt and walked back inside. He began to mull their slumber party over, as he had done countless times in the days since it had happened. 

Obviously the whole thing had only happened because they were fucked up, he knew that. It probably didn't help that Marcus had also literally shown up to his door naked, although he thought that Ben had been kind of irritated by that more than anything else. He played the moments over and over again in his head. Sharing the joint. Drinking whiskey until 3AM. Challenging Ben to truth or dare (which, he still had  _ no idea  _ why he had made that call.) He had genuinely been shocked that Ben admitted to having a dry spell first semester. The man was 6'7" and didn't have a roommate. It seemed beyond belief to him. And then, Marcus had opened his big dumb drunk mouth and asked Ben to kiss him. 

Marcus took his flannel off, sighing as he dug out another chunk of clay out of its bagged box. He had never considered himself gay, or bisexual, or anything really for that matter. He certainly had never set out to make out with one of his friends, much less the giant redheaded one with the goofy smile. He had just been looking at the way that Ben was looking at him all night, open faced and weirdly vulnerable. It had to have been the weed, or the booze, or aliens, or thought-form energy ghosts. Kissing Ben had been nice though. Really nice. Even if he had tried to crush his ribs in a hug, and maybe he was the warmest person alive that he could have asked to cuddle him. Oh god, he had asked Ben to cuddle him. Marcus carded his hands through his hair, forgetting that he had fresh clay and dust all over them. What if Ben came to the art building to tell him that he regretted everything? What if he wanted to know why Marcus blew smoke in his mouth, that was pretty weird, right? What if he had told all of their friends, and as he was slaving away on these stupid birds, they were all making fun of him and moving his stuff out of Henry's room? What if he had to completely start over, all over again? 

He continued like that, anxiety spiraling, leg bouncing, grinding his teeth as he worked on his homework. He got up several times just to pace around, trying to even his breathing out. He thought about seeing a counselor in between planning how he was going to fake his death. Mostly he tried to steel himself against the inevitable rejection that would be forever captured in the CCTV footage of the sculpture studio. 

"Hey Marcus," he heard from behind him. 

Marcus whirled around. Ben was standing in the doorway, snow melting into his hair. He held up a plastic bag full of junk food. 

"I brought the snacks! Sorry it took awhile, it's really coming down right now," he said cheerfully. "You're looking like a tortured artist," 

Marcus forced a smile, grabbing the snacks from Ben and dumping the bag out on a clay-covered table. Ben shimmied out of his coat, setting his backpack down on the table as well. 

"Thanks," Marcus said, trying his best to sound casual. "I certainly feel like one right now. I've been working on this stupid shit all day." 

"This, uh. This some kind of goose?" Ben asked, pointing at Marcus' half-finished model. 

"Uh, it's supposed to be a duck, done in half size," Marcus explained. "It's not very good but I still have a whole 'nother one to get done, and they're due tomorrow, and-" 

"I like it!" Ben cut him off. "Here, take a snack break, I bought both grape and orange pop, I couldn't remember which one you liked better." He smiled warmly at Marcus, face open and genuine as ever. 

"Thanks, Ben," he said, sitting down across from him and grabbing the orange pop. "How's your day been?" 

"It's been fine, class got let out early today so I've got most of my homework done. Had lunch with Holden and Jackie, took a nap. Looked at dogs on instagram, the usual," Ben said. "What about you?" 

Marcus sighed deeply. 

"Statton is kicking my ass. I should probably drop the class, but I think it's too late to have it erased from my transcript," he said. 

"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad, these birds look great!" Ben said, mouth full of sour cream and onion chips. "You're suffering for your art, that's good for you!" 

Marcus rolled his eyes and grabbed the chips out of Ben's hands. He shoved a handful in his mouth, brows knitted together. 

"Stop pouting," Ben said. "You're fine. You'll live. You said you only had an hour's worth of work left." 

"I don't wanna," Marcus groaned, mouth still full of chips. "Can't I just fake my death?" 

"Cmon buddy, you can do it," Ben replied. He pulled a notebook out of his backpack, along with a crumpled up packet. "I'm gonna work on my paper outline, in an hour we'll call it quits." 

Marcus grabbed a sucker off the table, unwrapped it, and shoved it in his mouth. 

"Fine," he said, cheek bulging. "But don't eat all the sour candy." 

  
  


*******

"Ben," Marcus said, craning his head around his final, half finished sculpture. "Toss me a warhead," He opened his mouth wide. 

Ben tossed the unwrapped candy across the table, and Marcus caught it in his mouth. Marcus gave a thumbs up, sucking the warhead hard between his teeth. Ben had gotten sick of Marcus getting up every five minutes to wash his hands and shove more candy into his face, and had offered to "hand feed it to him if it sped up the artistic process, damnit." Marcus had adamantly refused, not willing to pop a bone in the art studio, especially since it didn't seem like Ben was interested in discussing any further 'experiments' after all. He chewed on his candy, willing himself to calm down. He still felt on edge. 

He was working on molding out the webbing when he felt Ben hovering behind him. He looked around and up. 

"It looks really good, buddy," Ben said, smiling. 

"Thanks," Marcus said, turning back to his work. "I'll be ready to go in like, five minutes. Thanks for hanging out." 

"Well, someone's gotta keep you on track. You know what they say, 'that Marcus, he's bad at getting his work done,'" Ben joked, walking around the sculpture, still admiring it. 

"Oh you know me, I'm always behind on everything," Marcus said sarcastically. "How'd the paper planning go?" 

"Oh. I gave up on that about 10 minutes in, I've been playing tic tac toe." Ben said. He started gathering up his things.

"Can't believe you stuck around anyway. Alright, lemme wash my hands and then we can head back." 

They cleaned up, Marcus switching his ratty converse out for his winter boots, Ben cramming loose candy into his backpack. Marcus still felt wired and anxious, but that could have been the candy. They had hardly talked at all in the time he was working. He told himself that was probably normal for two friends who had mistakenly made out a few days earlier. 

"I think we're the last ones here," said Marcus as they walked down the stairs to the main entrance of the building. The art building was dimly lit, all of the professor's offices locked up for the night. The building was a standard level of creepy, but the total silence made it feel ripe for a jumpscare. They turned the corner and Ben's face fell. 

"Oh fuck," he said, trailing off. Two feet of snow was pressed against the glass door, and a blizzard was raging outside. Marcus couldn't even see 30 feet outside the building. His heart sunk. 

"Was it like this when you walked here?" he asked, turning to Ben. 

"No, I mean, it was coming down, but I could see just ok," Ben said, chewing on his lip. 

"Shit," exhaled Marcus. "Can we call Ed? Maybe he can pick us up?" 

"Lemme try," Ben said, already dialing. 

Marcus pressed his face into the glass. The snow was coming down practically sideways. He wasn't a total stranger to snowstorms, but this looked ugly. Their dorm was on the complete opposite side of campus, and even on a clear day it could take about 20 minutes to walk it. His phone pinged. 

"Snow Emergency: All students and staff are advised to seek shelter in the closest academic building or residential hall until further notice," he read outloud. 

"Damnit, Eddie didn't pick up either," Ben said. Marcus groaned. 

"We really can't walk through this?" he whined. "Cmon, you're from Wisconsin, aren't you supposed to be used to this?" 

"Uh, well a key part of being from Wisconsin is knowing when the fuck to stay inside-" Ben replied, digging through his backpack. "-and always being prepared." 

He pulled out the half-finished handle of Jack. 

"We're stuck here for now, we might as well settle in for the night." 

  
  


*******

  
  


"These couches are fucking awful," Ben complained. 

"Well, you said yourself that artist should suffer for their art," snapped Marcus. 

They had been camped out in the student lounge for an hour at this point. Ben was right, the couches were awful— mid-century industrial furniture, almost certainly hand-me-downs from departments that had real funding. In contrast to the dingy hallways, the lounge had oppressively bright fluorescents that gave Marcus a headache. They had found some expired Folgers, and he had dumped a healthy pour of whiskey into it to cut the bitterness. Marcus privately vowed to be nicer to art majors, even if their professors were total bastards. 

"Is it any better outside?" he asked. Ben lifted himself halfway off the couch to look through the window. 

"Nope. Still going. The sky's like, a cool color though, it's like somewhere between purple and orange— " 

"That's great Ben, really glad you can describe a death-sky right now." Marcus cut Ben off. 

"What's your fucking problem?" Ben said, clearly hurt. 

Marcus went silent. The snow was not Ben’s fault. It wasn’t Ben’s fault that he was too much of a coward to ask him about last weekend either. He wished he could dissolve into the couch and disappear. 

“Cmon, Marcus,” Ben said. “What’s going on? You’ve been weird all day.” 

“I just— It’s just, I wanted to be done with this hours ago, and I’m stressed out, and it’s too fucking bright in this room.” Marcus said. He sat halfway up, grabbing the styrofoam cup of whiskey coffee off the coffee table. Ben was staring at him, and he scowled. 

“Stop fucking looking at me like that,” Marcus said, draining his cup. Ben rolled his eyes. 

“Fine,” he said, standing up. 

“You’re not seriously going to try walking back right now, are you?” Marcus said, suddenly feeling very guilty. 

“Absolutely not,” Ben said, stretching a little. “Follow me, unless you’re gonna continue to be a dickhead about it.” 

"I'll be a dickhead all I want!" Marcus called after Ben. He followed him down the hallway. 

The building was totally silent by now, and he had the fleeting thought that if Ben was going to kill him, this would be a perfect setting for it. He rounded the corner, and watched Ben punch a keycode into an always-locked door. 

“Cmon,” Ben said, gesturing for Marcus to go in. 

“What are you doing?” Marcus asked. “How-“ 

“Oh, cmon, the code’s 1-2-3-4, just trust me,” Ben said. Marcus went through the door, and was almost immediately met with a weird vestibule. He felt Ben press up behind him, then the walls rotated. They were suddenly bathed in a weird dim red light. 

“Holy shit, a darkroom,” Marcus whispered. “I didn’t know we had one of these.” 

“Yeah, I saw it on my way in,” Ben said quietly. “Figured the lights would be less bright in here.” 

Marcus felt his lip tremble. Ben had been nothing but nice to him. He could have been stuck in the art building alone, and even now after he had been snippy to him all night Ben was trying to fix things. He sniffed, trying to gain some composure. 

“Thanks man,” he said, voice mostly level. “Sorry for being such a dick.” 

"Hey, it happens," Ben said softly. "You wanna talk about it?" 

Marcus looked at Ben, who was leaning against a cupboard. Even with the low lighting, he could see his eyebrows knitted together in concern. He took a deep breath. 

"I'm sorry," he said, refusing to make eye contact. "I just got really wigged out about my homework, and then, well, I thought that you were ignoring me, because of. You know. And then you came here and and you brought me food, and you were being really nice again, but I didn't wanna bring it up, and now we're both stuck here, and I don't know what to say or do around you!" 

"You thought I was mad at you because we made out?" Ben asked. Marcus felt heat rise up in his face. 

"You didn't say anything about it afterwards!" he yelled. "What was I supposed to think?" 

"We spent the whole day with Henry afterwards! I wasn't gonna bring it up with him!" Ben yelled back. 

"Well, you could have said something since then!" Marcus shimmied up onto the countertop behind him, leaning forward to put his head in his hands. 

"I didn't want to make it weird!" said Ben. 

"Well, we're weird," Marcus replied. He let out a weak laugh. 

"I'm not mad, dude," Ben continued. "I just didn't wanna bring it up." 

"Why not?" Marcus said, head still in his hands. 

"Because," Ben paused. "I didn't think you'd wanna do it again." 

"Well, do you wanna do it again?" Marcus asked. 

“I don’t know, Marcus, do you?” Ben said, suddenly close to him. Marcus looked up from his hands, and Ben was hovering immediately above him, hands on the countertop on either side of him. Ben looked him in the eyes, and dove in to kiss him. 

_ Oh,  _ Marcus thought. This is exactly what he needed. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Ben’s neck, kissing him back deeply. Ben still had one hand on the counter, the other gripping Marcus’s hip. He opened his mouth slightly, letting Ben french him a little. The beard felt scratchy, but in a good way. Ben pushed up closer to him, now resting a large arm on the cement-brick wall behind him. Marcus’ legs were bracketing his hips, and he resisted the urge to hook them behind Ben’s lower back. They kissed like that for a long time, just making out and enjoying whatever madness they had delved into once again. After an eternity, Ben pulled away. 

"Are you hard right now?" he asked. 

"Yeah. Obviously," said Marcus. They were pressed hip to hip, and it would have been impossible for Ben to have not noticed. 

"You want help with that?" Ben asked him. 

"Yeah," Marcus said, grinding into him for emphasis. He felt light-headed, and pulled Ben down for another kiss. Ben started palming him over his jeans, getting a feel for how hard Marcus truly was. With one arm still braced against the wall, he fumbled with Marcus's fly, managing to get it undone. Marcus reached down, and pulled his pants down just enough so his dick was free. Ben looked him in the eyes like he was making sure that Marcus wasn't about to bolt. Marcus nodded, wrapping his arms around Ben's neck once again. 

Ben's hands were softer than his. Big, obviously, but he was just the right amount of gentle. Marcus let out a tiny gasp as Ben stroked him, face buried in his neck and kissing him softly. He rocked into the motions, losing himself to the sensation a little. He felt the tension in his shoulders and back drop, almost comically so, after a full day of anxiety-posture. Ben broke away for a second, spitting in his hand to lube it up. Marcus tipped his head back, resting it against the wall, mouth open and relaxed. 

“Are you still feeling like a dickhead?” Ben asked, forehead resting against Marcus' shoulder. 

"I don't know, maybe I'll be a dickhead more often if it gets me this," Marcus breathed out. Ben laughed under his breath. 

"Well imagine what you'd be getting if you'd been nice to me," Ben said, picking up the pace.

"Right there, right there, like that— " Marcus groaned, bucking up into Ben's fist. He grabbed Ben's head, clumsily kissing him with an open mouth. Ben continued his relentless pace, and Marcus felt sweat drip down his back. 

"I'm gonna cum," he panted. "Fuck, Ben, I'm gonna— " 

Ben cut him off with a kiss, and that was the final straw. Marcus came, shooting ropes and seeing stars. Ben worked him through it, steadily slowing down as Marcus gasped for breath. They stayed like that for a moment, foreheads just resting on each other. 

"Holy shit," Marcus finally said. "Thank you." 

"No problem," Ben said, kissing him on the cheek. "You needed an attitude adjustment. I'm gonna uh, clean up." 

Marcus leaned back, as Ben washed his hands off in the sink. He hadn't felt this devoid of thought all day. His arms felt heavy, and he was sleepy now. 

"You good?" Ben asked. 

"Better than good," Marcus said, yawning a little. "I needed that. I uh, I definitely owe you one." 

"So we're down to keep experimenting?" Ben asked, bringing over a paper towel for Marcus. 

"Yes," Marcus said, wiping himself down. "Absolutely. You let me know where and when."

"Good," said Ben, giving Marcus a little forehead kiss. "Cmon, let's go home." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sir that's my emotional support character-i-project-on


	3. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Experiment #3. The boys get right to it.

_ [1 New Message from Marcus Parks] _

**Marcus** : hey, are you at home right now? 

**Ben** : yeah buddy, what's up? 

**Marcus:** wanna do another experiment? 

  
  


Ben rolled over, now fully awake from his post class nap. Things had gotten back to normal for them after Marcus's freakout last week, as normal as things get anyway. Regardless, he hadn't tried to approach him for any more 'experiments,' figuring that he might have pushed things a little far the last time. This was exciting. 

  
  


**Ben** : is that what we're calling this? yes. sounds like everyone's around tonight though, do you wanna meet up somewhere? 

**Marcus** : in a way 

**Marcus** : tell you what— you go jump in the shower right now, and I'll let you know where we're gonna go once you're done. 

  
  


Ben's stomach flipped. He sat up, and stared at his phone. Where in the hell was Marcus gonna take him that he needed to shower for? Who the hell tells someone to shower before they presumably just get into some heavy petting? Why did Marcus bossing him around make him immediately light-headed? 

He gathered up some clean clothes out of his unfolded laundry basket— the nice Old Navy jeans, a good t-shirt, and a hoodie without holes. He grabbed his shower shoes and caddy, and headed down to the showers at the end of the hall. 

There were eight empty shower stalls, but Ben always took the handicapped one. He had learned the hard way that he needed the adjustable showerhead because he was quite literally too tall to fit in the regular ones. He stripped down, throwing his dirty clothes on a pile on the floor outside the curtain, then placing his clean clothes on top of them. He turned the water on, letting it warm up to a skin-melting temperature before stepping underneath. 

Ben stood there, scrubbing his hair full of shampoo, trying not to guess where he and Marcus were going. The "in a way" message had him worried. Would Marcus try to get him to trip out tonight? It seemed unlikely, they both had class the next day, and he doubted that Marcus really wanted to explore his sexuality that deeply while on psychedelics. Plus, showering is what you were supposed to end a trip with, cleansed both inside and out. Maybe they were just going to a different building? Campus had plenty of bathrooms and unused study-cubbies, and lord knows they wouldn't have been the first couple of students to take advantage of an out of the way spot. Maybe he was just fucking with him. Just wanted him to get all clean and fresh, only to wind up back in his own, less than sterile sheets. Which reminded Ben, he really needed to wash his sheets. And fold that laundry. And finish typing a paper. And call his brother. And maybe put in an application for a campus job. He went through his laundry list of tasks that he should have already done, eyes shut tight, while he rinsed his hair. 

He was threading conditioner through his hair when he heard the door to the showers open. He could hear flip flopped footsteps through the pounding water of the shower against the tile wall, and he heard them pause right across from his own shower. Suddenly, he heard his own shower curtain being pulled open, and a gush of cold air whip towards him. 

"HEY— " he yelled, whipping around while trying to cover himself. It was Marcus, fully nude, grinning at him like a maniac. Ben sputtered. 

"What the fuck are you doing, buddy?" he hissed. "Plenty of showers to get ready in!" 

Marcus giggled, stepping in and pulling the curtain behind him. 

"C'mon man, it's not weird if you don't make it weird," he said in a low voice. "Figured you wouldn't mind the company," 

"You're a psychopath, you know that? Jesus. I could have slipped and fell, and I would have died, did you think about that?" Ben said, hand partially covering his eyes. He felt weird. The dim, shitty lighting in the shower room was low enough that he didn't feel ultra exposed, but still light enough that he could see most of Marcus in detail he had yet to experience before. Marcus stepped under the showerhead, inches away from Ben, getting his hair wet. 

"I'm sorry, I wanted to surprise you," Marcus said, looking up at Ben with his big blue eyes. "C'mon, look at me. I'll make this nice for you." 

Ben dropped his hand, eyes still focused on the shower floor. Slowly, he looked Marcus over. Normal feet, which was whatever— Ben wasn't a feet guy. Shins covered in bug bite scars and a light dusting of colorless grey-brown hair— surprisingly muscular thighs, ones that Ben wanted to feel wrapped around his waist— a thick ass that Ben and all the other guys had poked fun at a million times before— and then Marcus' cock. It shouldn't have surprised him, but it did. Skinny guy big, two-toned, circumcised, it could have been one of dozens that Ben had seen in locker rooms in his lifetime; but it still gave him pause. He had never considered a dick in this light before after all. He had seen the top half of Marcus before, and he looked remarkably similar to the night that this whole mess had started. Gorgeous. Improbable. Wet from the shower. His best friend. Ben shut his brain down and let his body take over. 

He ducked down and locked lips with Marcus, who leaned into it, wrapping his arms around Ben's neck. Unlike the previous two times, there was nothing hesitant in how they kissed. Mouths open and clumsy, they made out with an urgency they hadn't had before. Ben felt electric, his dick hard and pressed against Marcus' stomach. Trying to brace himself on the slippery shower floor, he pinned Marcus to the grimy tile wall face-to-face, hand on his ass. 

"Love when you get aggressive with me," Marcus groaned.

"Watch it," Ben whispered. "Don't talk so loud." 

"Just us in here, Kissel," he teased. 

"Well, keep your voice down, or I'll show you aggressive," Ben said, kissing Marcus directly under his ear. Marcus shuddered under him. Ben took the opportunity to take Marcus' dick in his hand, slowly stroking it. Marcus sighed, grinding into the motion. 

"God, you have nice hands," Marcus sighed. 

"Thanks, grew 'em myself," Ben replied. Marcus laughed, and Ben shushed him. 

"Seriously, Marcus, someone could come in here," he begged quietly. 

"No one's coming in," Marcus said, kissing Ben's neck. "If you're that worried about it, why are you hard?" 

Ben rolled his eyes and huffed. Marcus did have a point. 

"You should talk, you lunatic," Ben muttered. "Didn't realize you were packing like this," 

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Marcus said, giving Ben a long kiss on the mouth. 

"Sit down," he said, reaching behind Ben to flip the handicap bench down. 

Ben obliged, and Marcus dropped to his knees. He kissed the inside of one of his knees and stroked Ben, staring up at him. Ben thought, for what had to be the thousandth time in the last ten minutes, that this had to be some kind of alternate reality. Marcus sucked a hickey onto his thigh, looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes that made Ben bite back a moan. 

"Do you want me to— ?" Marcus started. Ben cut him off. 

"Yeah, fuck, please," he said, nodding and breathy. Marcus grinned, then leaned forward and licked the underside of Ben's dick, base to tip. Ben let his head fall back and let out a low curse. It felt absolutely filthy in the best way possible. He reached for Marcus' free hand, lacing their fingers together as he stared towards the still-running shower. Marcus dragged it out, teasing him until he was actually whining a little, bouncing his leg in anticipation. They had barely started and he was already so close. He locked eyes with Marcus, who finally took Ben's head entirely into his mouth. Just then, the door opened. 

"Aw man, that rain totally bungled that joint," whined Holden. 

"It's fine, keep your fucking voice down, I kept it mostly dry— " Henry hissed. 

"Ooh, girl in the boys' shower, what will I see today?" Jackie said in a mocking sing-songy voice. 

Henry and Holden shushed Jackie. Marcus and Ben stared at each other, dick still in Marcus' mouth. All the color had drained from Marcus' face, and Ben was completely unable to move. They sat totally still, frozen with fear as their friends' footsteps approached the end of the shower hall, directly outside of where they were caught in possibly the most compromising position possible. 

"Cmon, everybody get in this one," Henry said, ripping open the shower curtain of the stall directly opposite Ben and Marcus. They heard a lighter go off, then Holden's familiar hacking cough. Ben felt his heart thudding like it was going to drop through his chest and out his asshole. Marcus squeezed Ben's upper thigh. They stayed like that for a few moments, and Ben prayed that the shower curtain was thick enough so that there weren't incriminating shadows being cast. He strained to hear his friends smoking, but they were silent too. Had they already figured it out? Was his life about to be over? Was Marcus' life about to be over too? 

"Who else is in here?" whispered Jackie, not nearly as quiet as she thought she was. Marcus swallowed, unfortunately moving his tongue in the exact right spot to make Ben yelp. 

"Kissel, is that you?" asked Holden. Ben felt like he was going to vomit, but bravely spoke up. 

"Yeah, just lil' old me," he said, straining to sound normal. Marcus silently laughed, now moving his tongue around Ben's dick on purpose. Ben gave him a warning look, which Marcus promptly ignored. He started blowing him in earnest now, which certainly did not help Ben's prerogative to stay as quiet as humanly possible. 

"Oh good, man," said Henry, cheev audible in his voice. "Once we're done with this, we're gonna watch the new Annabelle, you wanna join us? Marcus just went on a beer run for us." 

"Did he?" said Ben, wrapping a hand around the back of Marcus' head. "Nice of him. Yeah, I'll meet up with y'all." 

"Dope, dude." Henry said. "Here, stick out your hand, you can hit the last of this."

Ben blindly stuck his hand out of the shower, hoping to god that they couldn't see anything that was going on inside of it. Someone handed him the very last of a joint, and Ben took a long drag off of it, staring directly into Marcus' eyes while doing so. They heard their friends leave the shower room, and waited for the door to click shut. 

"You little shit, I can't believe you— " Ben hissed, now pushing Marcus' head down on his dick, desperate to finish. Marcus laughed through the facefucking, furiously jerking himself off. 

"No one's gonna come in, I can't— you're such a brat," Ben groaned, huffing the last of the joint and then flicking the roach down the drain. Marcus had tears running down his face, but still somehow managed to look like he couldn't be happier with himself. Ben tightened his grip on Marcus' hair, and held him down. He came hard, letting out a final moan, as Marcus swallowed around his dick. Exquisitely exhausted, he let go of his friend. Marcus looked up at him, mouth red and wide open. He looked wrecked, like he had run a marathon. 

"Call me a brat again," Marcus breathed, catching his breath while he still jerked himself off. 

"You're a brat, Marcus," Ben said, catching his breath as well while he watched. 

"Again," said Marcus. 

"Brat," said Ben. Marcus bit down on his lip, hard. Ben shook his head, amazed at the things that got Marcus off. 

"Marcus Parks," he said. "You are an absolute brat." 

Marcus stilled, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open. He came, body shuddering as he painted his own chest with thick white ropes. A pause hung in the air. Ben realized that the shower water had gone lukewarm. He reached over and shut it off. 

"Jesus Christ," he finally said. 

"Yeah," said Marcus. "That was close."

"You think so?" Ben said, incredulous.

"If they had picked the shower next to us, they would have found my clothes and the beer." Marcus said, wiping the corner of his mouth. 

Ben laughed. He was a mix of adrenaline and post-nut endorphins, and he didn't know whether he wanted to strangle Marcus, or stay in the shower with him forever. He stood up, then helped Marcus up as well. Marcus peeked out of the curtain, then grabbed his clothes and a towel from his hiding spot.

"So what did you think of the meet up spot?" Marcus asked, drying himself off. 

"I think you're a lunatic with a death wish," Ben said, smiling. "Can I use that? I didn't grab mine." 

Marcus rolled his eyes, but gave Ben the damp towel. They got dressed, both feeling loose and happy despite their accidental exhibitionism. Once they were dressed, Ben peeked his head out of the shower, then nodded to Marcus, who followed. He grabbed a case of beer from the shower next to them. 

"I'll go out first," said Ben. "If the coast is clear, I'll open the door up again for you. If not, just wait like, a few minutes." 

"Sounds good to me," said Marcus, who shrugged on his flannel. His hair was soaked, but as long as it had stayed raining it shouldn't raise any alarms. Ben waited for him to get totally ready. 

"One more thing," Ben said. He turned back to Marcus and kissed him on the lips, tenderly. Marcus jumped a little, surprised at the innocent affection. He melted into it, and then Ben pulled away again. 

"Thanks, Marcus."

"Anytime, Ben." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I might be writing and publishing erotic fan fiction of my favorite podcast hosts, but at least I own a fucking towel.

**Author's Note:**

> 2 years ago I saw a picture of Marcus with long hair in college and every morning since then snakes have manifested in my home and I know no peace


End file.
